Elkhart Grand Prix is coming to an end; a look at what has changed

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ELKHART, Ind.- After 20 years of waiting, the city of Elkhart is welcoming the Riverwalk Grand Prix. Back in the 1990s, this street race was one of the biggest races in U.S. karting, but it’s more than just a race.

The kid zone will offer an obstacle course, a splash pad, face painting balloon animals and tricycle races. Adults can buy beverages and of course there will be food for sale.

According to our reporting partners at the Elkhart Truth, all proceeds will benefit the Elkhart Education Foundation.

Jason burgess, the head flagman, says his responsibilities include giving drivers a second green flag, along with hand signals about their position in the race. On top of that, Burgess is making sure this event is on schedule.

He also mentioned this race has come a long way since the last time it was here. “Improvements to karts, safety for the drivers as far as the gear they wear nowadays compared to back then,” he says. “The barrier system you see red white around the track, which is one of the biggest improvements to come along to karting. It softens impacts and we’ve learned a lot.”

These drivers range from 8 years old to 50 years old. Burgess adds the city of Elkhart has been extremely welcoming and he looks forward to coming back next year.